This invention relates to cutting implements having multiple cutting chambers, and more specifically, to structure for reducing the amount of dried vegetation and other material from being thrown out the front of the implement beneath the front wall thereof.
Multiple blade cutting implements frequently consist of three separate chambers or adjoining enclosures which contain a respective cutting blade therein. As each of the blades rotates within its chamber to cut vegetation beneath it, an air flow is created with respect to the direction in which the vegetation moves after it is cut and until it is discharged from the implement. Typically in the case of three chamber decks having, respectively, a left, center and right hand chamber, this flow moves from the left chamber towards the right chamber and thereafter exits through a discharge opening in the implement.
It has been noticed that upon movement of the above flow from the left to center chambers, a sizeable amount of vegetation that is cut is blown out in front of the center chamber. As used therein, xe2x80x9cblown outxe2x80x9d refers to the condition where cut material is propelled out of the cutting chambers below the edges thereof and thus the front wall of the implement. This condition occurs as a result of the throwing action of the center blade as it contacts vegetation moving from the left chamber and attempts to convey this vegetation through the center chamber and remainder of the implement. Further, the condition is most noticeable when the vegetation that is being cut is dry and, consequently, lighter than it might otherwise be thereby permitting it to be more easily dispersed within the implement.
To help retain material that is cut or disturbed by their blades, cutting implements or decks of the type described above are typically constructed with skirts or walls which extend downwardly from their top surfaces. When constructed, however, these skirts are often manufactured to be higher at the fronts of the decks than they are at the rear portions thereof. As a result, the cutting plane of the blade carried within a particular chamber falls slightly below the lowest portion of the front of a particular deck, thereby leaving an open gap. With this type of construction, a number of concerns have arisen.
Among these concerns are the appearance of the lawn or grass after it has been cut by an implement having the above construction. With skirts having this type of design, vegetation and other debris that is cut and/or caught up in the discharge stream often tends to escape the deck below its front edge. This escape of material commonly has occurred at the middle and right front portion(s) of the center chamber. Consequently, an unkept appearance of one""s grounds results, thereby requiring an operator to spend additional time and effort in maintaining their appearance.
Further, past designs which have sought to address the above difficulty of dry and other material being thrown from the underside of the deck have sought to address the above concerns by providing a horizontal or vertical baffle which extends across the front edge of the deck in the area of the center chamber. This first baffle has been constructed to be even with and extend horizontally inwardly from the deck""s front edge. In providing this form or type of solution, the attempt to close the above mentioned gap has not been successful since the baffle has not extended below the cutting plane of the blade. Thus, material such as vegetation and other debris has still escaped through the described gap.
Still further, a vertical baffle has also been used as stated above. This baffle has extended downwardly from the front of the deck and, like the horizontal baffle above, has decreased the cutting performance of the implement on which it is used. This decrease in performance results from an increased amount of structure at the deck""s front edge which knocks down the grass and other vegetation in its path. Since the baffle is vertical and serves as a downward continuation of the deck""s edge across the front of the center chamber, vegetation of the type mentioned is bent over for a longer period of time than it would otherwise be if some other device or shielding mechanism were used. As a consequence of being taken out of its upright stance for the period of time that it is in contact with the baffle, it has been observed that the vegetation does not have enough time to be lifted or raised by the cutting blade(s). Accordingly, cutting of the vegetation cannot occur as it should because the grass is still bent over when the time arrives for the cutting edge of the blade to slice a particular piece of grass or other type of vegetation.
Thus, there exists a need for a device that forms a part of the deck so as to enable vegetation and other debris that is contacted by the blade(s) thereof from escaping from the underside of the deck and, especially, from the center chamber thereof.
Accordingly, there is provided a device that forms part of the deck and acts as a shield or guard to assist in retaining vegetation and other debris that is cut and/or disturbed by the deck""s blade(s) from leaving its respective cutting chambers. Further, the implement is provided with an adjustable extension to the previous device so as to further insure that an operator is permitted to maintain the overall appearance of the grounds. These capabilities are provided without reducing the maximum level of cutting performance that is obtainable from the deck.
Specifically, the first of the two above devices is provided in the form of a lip that is made integral with, or as one-piece of, the front edge of the deck. The lip is extended vertically downwardly to the level of the cutting plane of, particularly, the center blade. Moreover, it is constructed to sit off to the left of the midpoint of the center blade. It is in this area that the streams of cut material from the two adjacent blades converge. Positioning the lip in this manner substantially decreases the likelihood that vegetation which has been cut and debris that has been disturbed will escape from the center chamber, and thus the, deck itself.
To further insure against the ability of the center blade to project items beyond the structure of the center and at least one other adjoining chamber, the second device is provided as an adjustable extension to the lip. This extension may be made part of the implement when its operator finds a desire or need for its use insofar as the escape of materials from the area in which the left and center chambers border each other is noticed.
Accordingly, there is provided an implement which substantially reduces the likelihood of vegetation and other debris escaping therefrom and, particularly, from the center chamber thereof. In reducing that likelihood, the implement helps to insure the overall appearance of one""s grounds.